I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a microscope, and more particularly to a microscope built into a computer.
II. Description of Related Art
Traditional bench top microscopes are heavy, bulky and occupy a large area on a bench or table. Confocal microscopes can weigh several hundred pounds, cost several hundred thousand dollars, and occupy a large bench dedicated to the instrument. These powerful instruments are not accessible to every person who can benefit from them, due in part to size and cost considerations.
The size and shape of a high power microscope is the result of many years of evolution from the first microscopes in the 18th century; however, the ergonomics of the original microscope have not changed much since its invention. The large size and bulky shape of microscope technology on the market today is based largely on tradition and the user's expectation of what a microscope should look like. For instance, the user is accustomed to using a bulky eyepiece viewer to observe a sample, despite the fact that the optical glass used in a microscope for imaging can be held in the palm of one's hand. Traditional expectations also dictate that the microscope platform must be large, bulky, rigid, and expensive.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,027,628 is directed to an automated microscope and computer system that captures a set of images for a capture area in a plurality of focal planes. Although this patent discloses an automated means of providing a microscopic view of a biological sample, it is not directed to microscope that is built into a computer.
A need exists for a portable, relatively inexpensive microscope that can be as accessible to institutions and the general public at large as personal computers.